Birds of a Feather - Prologue
by asher050100
Summary: Tony, a new member of the Avian Special Forces Detachment: Bravo Company, gets his training to meet his friend back in the Amazon, Blu.


_"Recruitment Day"_

_Antonio "Tony" Hernandez  
ASFD base - somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.  
0800 hours  
March 1st, 2013_

The sun is rising at the east. New soldiers woke up and come out from their camps for their last day of training. Tony's one of them. They've been trained for a month, and this is the day they're waiting for - they're going to join the Bravo Company. They filled the training range.

"Alright, rookie. Come here and show us what you got back there in the Amazon." Memphis said to Tony. Tony steps forward, picks up an ARX-160 rifle from the table to do some shooting at the firing range. Tony shoots that rifle from his hips.

"Remember, soldier! SHOOTING FROM THE HIP DOESN'T MAKE YOU HIT YOUR TARGET. So, aim down your goddamn sights!" Memphis shouted angrily at Tony. "Now, aim down your sights and shoot from a stable stance such as crouching."

"Yes, sir." Tony replies.

Tony shoots at the targets. He hit all the targets precisely. Memphis praises his actions. "Now that's what I'm talking about, rookie. Now, report to Staff Sergeant Maverick for some gadgets training."

"Maverick? What do you mean Maverick?" Tony said in his mind.

Tony walked to the gadgets training range, and reports to the Staff Sergeant, who is actually the guy that was very popular back in 2007 for his surfing skills - Cody Maverick.

"Holy shit. Is this real? I met a surfing legend in the military?" the thought that came up in Tony's mind.

"Stop wondering, dude. Let's start the gadgets training." Cody said.

Cody gives him some M67 grenade. "Now, you know the rules. Throw these grenades to the windows 1, 2 and 3. Remember - pull the pin first."  
"No! I'll pull the lever first!" Tony said in his mind as he giggles.  
"You know how to use a grenade, right? Now, stop laughing and throw those grenades." Cody interrupts.

Tony throws the grenades at the windows, and manages to make them explode inside those windows.

"Now, let's continue the training. Here's the M320 Grenade Launcher Module. It's basically the standalone version of the M320 grenade launcher. Now, shoot the grenade to the wall with a number 4 on it." Cody said to Tony.

Tony picks up that M320, then shoots the wall with a number 4 on it, that was located pretty close to him.

"It doesn't explode, right? Note - launched grenades have a safe arming distance. So you wouldn't get hit by the explosion when you accidentally shoot it at the ground near you."  
"Oh, wow. I've never used a grenade launcher back in the Amazon."  
"Yeah, I think this is the first time you use it, huh? Now, shoot the grenades at the windows 5, 6 and 7. Don't forget to aim down the sights. It'll help you shoot the grenades easier."

Tony shoots the M320 at the window, but the shot missed the window so far above, and the grenade explodes at the ocean behind the range.

Cody advises, "Try to adjust the zeroing of the sights."

Tony adjusts the zeroing of the M320's sights to the lowest level, and shoots the grenades at the windows. He managed to put the grenades inside the 3 windows.

"That's it. Now, I'll show you how to use one of my favorite gadgets - the C4 explosive."  
"It looks like a dynamite, for me." Tony said.  
"It's more like it, but, this one's more advanced. This thing uses a remote detonator instead of a timer on the dynamite that you use back in the Amazon." Cody replies.  
"Now, pick up that C4 and the detonator. Then, put it at that box over there." Cody points at a box in the middle of the range.

Tony walked to the box, and puts the C4 on the box.

"Get to a safe distance now." Cody said.  
Tony walked far away from that box with some C4 on it.

"HIT IT!"  
"What do you mean, hit it?" Tony asked.  
"Press the detonator, goddammit!" Cody shouted.  
*BOOM!*

"Okay, now, report to Master Sergeant Gunderson. She'll teach you how to fight in close quarters combat."  
"Roger that." Tony replied.

"Gunderson? She? Did Jewel joined the force too?" said Tony in his mind. And yes, as soon as he arrived at the CQB training range, he sees Jewel standing by.

"Wow, Tony. Nice to meet you here!" Jewel happily greets Tony.  
"Yeah, I decided to join this company." Tony replied.  
"You want to follow Blu's trails, don't ya?" Jewel asked.  
"Of course! I'm so happy if I fought alongside him."  
"Yup, it's your lucky day. He's now a sniper, and he needs a spotter. Maybe you'll be his spotter." Jewel calmly replied. "Anyway, back to the training. Pick up that pistol and that knife on the table."

Tony picks up a P226 pistol and a knife, and putted it on its holsters.

Jewel said, "Now, switch to your pistol."

Tony immediately switches his rifle to his pistol.

"Remember - switching to your pistol is always faster than reloading. But anything gets worse if you ran out of your rifle and pistol's ammo. So, if you're pinned down, and your rifle's out of ammo, switch to your pistol, and immediately search for cover, and reload your rifle."  
"Okay, ma'am." replied Tony.  
"Now, try to use your knife to do a quick knife on that target."

Tony hits the target with his knife immediately.

"Quick knifes are faster than reloading or even switching to your pistol, but it only deals small damage to the target. If you want to REALLY use a knife, sneak upon the enemy's back, and stab him." Jewel said.  
"No shit." Tony replies.

"Now, I'll teach you how to breach. There are many ways to breach, but I'll show you three - with a flashbang, with a breaching charge, and with a shotgun."  
"A'ight, let's do it."  
"Let's try the basic one first: With a shotgun. Pick up that M4 on the table." Jewel said.

"Wow, I never see anything like this." Tony said.  
"You never see an M4? Almost EVERY forces in this world use it - even Brazilian forces."  
"I mean, the thing that was attached to this."  
"Oh, that? That's an M26 MASS. It was useful if you don't want to carry a heavy fucking shotgun on your back." Jewel replied. "Now, use it, and shoot the lock on the door number 1."

*BANG!*

He shoots the shotgun at the lock, then he quickly enters the room, and shoots the targets behind that door.

"Good. Remember - that shotgun was a bolt-action shotgun. It means that you have to pull the bolt after you shoot it if you wanna shoot it again afterwards. Now try this. Use this flashbang to breach the door number 2." Jewel gave Tony an M84 stun grenade.

Tony opens the unlocked door, and threw a flashbang inside that door.

*BANG!*

Tony enters the room, and shoots the targets inside that room.

"Impressive! Now try this - use these two breaching charges to clear that CQB obstacle course. There will be two doors that must be breached inside the obstacle course. And you need to shoot ALL the targets at the obstacle course."  
"Oh man, I've never done this before." Tony said.  
"Don't worry, if you fail, you can try this over and over. You wouldn't die in here." Jewel calmly replied. "Alright. Stack up. You ready?"  
"Umm... Maybe... Ah, fuck it." Tony puts the charge on the door.

*BOOM!*

"BREACHING! BREACHING!" Jewel shouted at the megaphone. "SHOOT THE TARGETS!"

Tony shoots the targets at the first area. "CLEAR! TO THE NEXT POSITION!" Jewel shouted.

Tony enters the second area. Immediately, targets pop out.

"WATCH FOR CIVILIANS!" Jewel shouted again. Panicked, Tony fired at the targets from the hip, and some of the bullets hit a civilian target.

"AIM DOWN YOUR SIGHTS, ROOKIE!" Jewel shouted.  
"I can't get used to this." Tony thought in his mind.

Tony managed to clear the enemy targets at the second area. Jewel shouted again, "NEXT POSITION!"

Tony finds a locked door, and he uses his breaching charge again. He putted it on the door, and, BOOM. As soon as the charge blows, Jewel shouted again, "HIT THE TARGETS! WATCH FOR CIVILIANS!"

Tony aims his M4, and shot the enemy targets, without hitting any civilian targets. He advances to the next position, and suddenly, a target pops out in the front of him.

"KNIFE THAT SON OF A BITCH!" Jewel shouted at the megaphone.

Tony was panicked, but he panicked by swinging his knife, hitting the target. Tony advances to the next room, then the targets pop out.

"SHOOT 'EM ALL!" Jewel shouted again. Now, the targets were all enemies, with no civvies inside. Tony shoots them all.

"NEXT POSITION! SPRINT TO THE FINISH!" Jewel shouted at the megaphone.

Tony runs all the way down to the finish. He managed to finish the course in 45 seconds.

"Impressive. But next time, aim down your sights." Jewel calmly said to Tony. "You want to try that again? Or, did you wanna go to the next training?"  
"I'd like to try this another time. I'll go to the next training." Tony replied.  
"Good. Anyway, the doors that you breached need to be replaced though."

Tony walked away from the obstacle course, but immediately, Jewel shouted at him.

"Hey Tony!"  
"What?"  
"The next training's will determine your position as his spotter. He'll train you how to snipe and some shit like that."  
"Blu's spotter, right?"  
"Of course, man."  
"Alright, thanks!"  
"My pleasure!"

He reports to the next training spot. There, he finds Blu and Captain Eduardo Mendes, the leader of the Spix's macaw force of the Bravo Company.

"It seems that my daughter had told you so many things, don't she?" Eduardo said.  
"Of course. She's so charming. You have a perfect daughter, sir. And you, Blu, you're so lucky to have her."  
"Thanks, bro." Blu replied. "Now, pick that sniper rifle. Let's see what you got on the distance."

Tony picks up an L115A3 sniper rifle. He quickly goes to prone and aims the rifle.

"That rifle, was a record-setting sniper rifle for the longest confirmed sniper kill - in the world. A Brit named Craig Harrison sets that record in a distance of two and a half klicks. Now, however, we have targets ranging from 500 meters to a single klick. That record-setting range - it's almost impossible without a single luck. Now, I'll teach you how to use a rangefinder. You need to use a rangefinder to shoot those targets. It'll help you adjust the zeroing of the riflescope." Blu said.

Tony uses a rangefinder to determine the range of the target that is in the middle of the ocean.

"Now, tell me the range." Blu said.  
"Target, rifleman, 600 meters, east."  
"Good. Next target."  
"Target, machine gunner, 800 meters, east."  
"Impressive. Next."  
"Target, sniper, 1000 meters, east."  
"Remember - If you want to say kilometers, just say it 'klicks'." Blu advises Tony.  
"Okay, I got it. Target, sniper, 1 klick, east."  
"Excellent. Now, shoot 'em. Don't forget to use your rangefinder and adjust the zeroing of the scope."

Tony uses his rangefinder first, adjusts the zeroing of the scope, then he shoots the first target. He's doing it that way until the last target. He managed to hit the targets, albeit with some misses.

"Are you sure you want him as your spotter?" Eduardo asked to Blu.  
"Of course, sir. He's my best friend back at the Amazon. You know it." Blu replied.  
"He's good at spotting targets too, you know."  
"Yup. That's why."

"Alright, you passed, Tony. Now you're Blu's spotter." Eduardo said.  
"Thank you, sir." Tony replied.  
"Don't mention it." Eduardo said. "Your training ends here. Tomorrow, you and Blu will be sent for your first mission. We'll brief it in 7 AM, tomorrow. Great job."

In the middle of his free time, Tony chats with Jewel.  
"So, do you know how this force was established?" Tony asked to Jewel.  
"Yeah. My dad told me. Back then, in the '80s, a scientist has a pretty mad idea about militarized birds, and he tells the idea to the JSOC commander. The commander thought that was a crazy idea, but the commander agreed it. Eventually the scientist tells the capability of birds to operate at night, so the commander somewhat agrees it. The first force was called the "Alpha" company. At first, they consists of less than 100 personnel. They picked owls, hawks, and several military macaws."  
"And... What's their first mission?"  
"April 1st, 1989. 4 days before I was born. They launched the first operation. It's called the "Operation Falcon Strike". They infiltrate a Calico base in the Middle East. Their mission? Retrieve an intel about the Calico force and local insurgents connection. The team consists of only 10 men. I knew their squad leader, he's an eagle, but I forgot his name. They infiltrate the base at night, with only suppressed M16 Commando rifles, UV taclight, sidearm and a knife. No other stuffs. But one of them, was carrying a SAW, although it wasn't used for the infiltration. How do they do it? They turn off the lights. The guards can't see shit at dark. With UV lights and their suppressed rifles, they annihilate them, one by one. After they retrieve the intel, our guy with the SAW mows the remaining guards when they're going for the exfil. What's so special about it? He's literally FLYING while firing that SAW. As I remember, people said, the last words from the enemy, heard on the radio, was... IT'S A BIRD! IT'S A BIRD! What do you think? What's more freakin' scarier than death from above? Or an unexpected enemy from above?"  
"Holy, shit. That's the scariest April fools I've ever heard." Tony said.  
"What do you mean?"  
"They've done it in April 1st, right?"  
"Oh, I get it! (giggles) Yeah, they've given an April fool from hell."  
"Hahaha, right." Tony said. Both Tony and Jewel laughed.  
"A'ight, you guys have know each other right now, right?" Eduardo interrupts.  
"No, dad. I knew him already when he joins the tribe force with Blu." Jewel replied.  
"Oh..." Eduardo paused and stares at Tony.  
"It's okay, sir." Tony said. "...sir?"  
"Ha-hah. Got ya. Just kidding. Keep talking with her." Eduardo pats Tony's shoulder, and leaves.  
"Wow, I like your father. He's funny." Tony said.  
"Yeah, I knew it." Jewel replied.  
"I heard from Blu, you're a funny girl too... Am I right?"  
"We'll see." Jewel replied. "You have some sense of humor, too, I think."  
"Thanks."  
"Don't mention it."  
Blu came with two cups of coffee, while he's eating his cookie. Tony stares at Blu's cookie in disbelief.  
"Alright. Here's for my princess..." Blu brings Jewel a cup of coffee.  
"Oh stop it, you." Jewel said to Blu as she smiles and holding her shyness.  
"And, here's for my dear best friend." Blu brings the second cup of coffee to Tony, and Tony's focus on Blu's cookie was gone.  
"Oh, thank you!" Tony said.  
"My pleasure." Blu replied. "So, how was it? Your new friends, and anything else you see after you joined here?"  
"Great. My friends were fun to play with, I've seen my room, and yeah, nothing's bad." Tony replied.  
"Of course it did. But out there, in the battlefield, there will be monsters out there." Blu said.  
"What do you mean, monsters?"  
"Just kidding. I mean, things would get very different out there. Just remember your trainings."  
"Yeah right. Even that I've never been deployed in the battlefield, I knew it." Jewel replied.  
"Huh? You've never been deployed?" Tony said.  
"Nope. I'm just an officer." Jewel said. "But I train rookies about Close Quarters Combat."  
"How did you knew CQC?" Tony asked.  
"I've done it before. Before I joined here." Jewel replied.  
"Yeah, I think that, she's forced to fight and wield a gun before she joined any military force, even our tribe's force." Blu said.  
"How?" Tony asked.  
"No, just don't. I'm not in the mood to explain it." Jewel denied.  
"Oh, sorry."  
"Alright, I'm outta here. You guys check yourselves. Tomorrow would be a pretty hard day! I think." Blu said as he leaves them both.  
"He-heh. Not for me." Jewel said.  
"No shit, Jewel. You're just an officer." Tony said.  
"Being an officer is a pretty hard job to do, though." she replied.  
"Yeah, right." Tony said. "Hey, do you see the thing that Blu ate?"  
"No, why?" Jewel replied.  
"Nope. Just askin'."

_To be continued_


End file.
